Horrified millennials realize they’ve lived through “whole fashion cycle”

Two millennials have shared their horror after realizing that they’ve lived through an entire fashion cycle as the trends they wore as teenagers have now made an unexpected comeback.

While Astrid Aschenbrenner, 35, was out shopping with her friend, Sophie Förster-Vogelsberger, 32, the millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) were astounded by some of the clothes on sale. As they sifted through the faux fur bucket hats, the Ed Hardy low-cut jeans, and the Paul Franks tees, it was a complete throwback to the nineties and aughts.

Seeing the return of these styles left Aschenbrenner speechless, telling Newsweek that she thought “it must be some sort of prank” at first. Many of these trends went out of style in the late noughties, but now that they’re back en vogue, Aschenbrenner realized that she’s come full circle and she’s lived through “a whole fashion cycle.”

Of course, Aschenbrenner and Förster-Vogelsberger, of Vienna, Austria, couldn’t resist trying some of the clothes on and seeing what all the fuss is about. Aschenbrenner shared a hilarious clip showing their reactions on Instagram (@wienerkind_) which went viral with more than 1 million views.

Aschenbrenner said: “We were so shocked when we saw the comeback of these styles. The worst one is by far Ed Hardy, and the super low waist jeans that are designed to sit down with everything on show.

“We started thinking about all those times when our moms used to say things like, ‘I used to wear that when I was young. I can’t believe it’s back.’ I first remember that happening when Converse came back in the 2000s and I couldn’t believe my mom used to wear them. I simply needed a pair, and I remember how happy I was when I got my first Converse.”

Of course, Aschenbrenner hasn’t avoided the retro nineties styles altogether—it’s too hard to stay away entirely. Indeed, she’s been having fun embracing some of the fashion from her younger years and enjoying the nostalgia that comes with it.

She told Newsweek: “It’s like feeling that freedom and playfulness again when you embrace your old teenage self. The fun part is getting to wear all those things that you didn’t get your hands on back then, or couldn’t afford as a teenager, or maybe your parents wouldn’t let you wear.”

While she’s willing to welcome back certain styles (not all), Aschenbrenner doesn’t want to see a return of the body image problems that many millennials grew up with. She explained that a lot of nineties and aughts fashion “was designed for size zero,” but society has come a long way since then and started embracing a healthier body type.

How Did Social Media React?

Since posting the video online on November 20, Aschenbrenner has been amazed by the response it’s generated. She’s connected with plenty of fellow millennials who shared her horror at seeing so many styles from their youth making a comeback.

“It’s reached a lot of people worldwide, and many millennials are just as shocked as us, mostly about Paul Franks and Ed Hardy coming back in style,” Aschenbrenner told Newsweek. “Our reactions in that video were quite visceral, but it’s also an ugly reminder of the body image issues we faced in the past.”

Plenty of social media users struggled to hide their shock at the thought they’ve lived through a fashion cycle, leading to hundreds of comments on the viral Instagram video.

One Instagram user responded: “Friends don’t let friends wear Ed Hardy!”

Another person wrote: “Should have just saved my clothes from middle school.”

While one comment reads: “I still have my Ed Hardy T-shirt from 14 years ago.”

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